Significance of Biohazardous Medical Waste Disposal

Environment Services

 About 30 years ago, needles washed up on the shores of five East Coast beaches, raising awareness of the need for biohazardous waste control. This eventually led to governments adopting regulating criteria for generators for medical waste disposal. Fast forward to the present, when emerging viruses like Ebola and COVID-19 create public concerns about disease transmission and the particular handling necessary for biohazard waste disposal. Given these issues, it is more vital than ever for healthcare personnel to understand how to properly manage and dispose of biohazardous medical waste.


What is considered biohazardous medical waste?
Although there is no globally accepted definition of medical waste, most federal and state agencies separate wastes with the potential to cause illness and have rules in place for their collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal. Biohazardous medical waste is commonly referred to as regulated medical waste, biomedical waste, or infectious waste, and state legislation may differ. Biohazardous waste is defined as any waste contaminated with liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) that could harm or infect humans. Biohazardous waste contains, but is not limited to:
  • "Red bag waste" are objects that are saturated or polluted with blood or other potentially infectious materials. Bandages, gauze, personal protective equipment such gloves, gowns, goggles, and plastic tubing
  • Sharps waste includes needles, scalpels, syringes, lancets, and any other object that has been exposed to potentially infectious substances and is capable of puncturing human flesh (for example, shattered glass).
  • Pathological (or anatomical) waste: limbs, specimens, and tissue samples (free of preservatives)
  • Trace chemotherapy wastes: masks, gloves, gowns, empty vials, empty intravenous bags, tubing, and bottles used to administer chemotherapeutic medications are examples of trace chemotherapy waste.
  • Laboratory wastes include cultures and stocks containing human disease-causing agents.
How Is Biohazardous Medical Waste Regulated?
Regulations are in place to help decrease the danger of harm and illness during handling, collecting, and transportation to disposal. Several federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Transportation (DOT), have regulations governing various aspects of biohazard waste management. OSHA has a variety of standards in place to ensure the proper management of biohazardous waste and reduce the danger of spreading bloodborne pathogens (BBP) in the workplace. After collection, biohazardous trash should be adequately packaged to comply with DOT transportation rules. Both agencies have staff training requirements to ensure their safety.

At the state level, numerous regulatory authorities provide more detailed classifications of products classified as biohazardous waste. For example, several states have extra classifications that include chemotherapeutic waste, pathological waste, pharmaceutical trash, and instructions on how to appropriately dispose of cultures and stocks. While biohazardous trash generated in healthcare facilities and enterprises is regulated, most states do not control biohazardous garbage generated by consumers. However, there are numerous initiatives in place to encourage consumers to use biohazardous waste disposal methods that pose the least risk to the community.

How is biohazardous waste managed?
Biohazardous waste can be treated using a variety of procedures, the two most popular of which are:

  • Autoclaving: Waste undergoes a scheduled, high-temperature, high-pressure steaming procedure to neutralize any infectious agents, after which it is ready for disposal and transported to a landfill or waste-to-energy plant. Autoclaving is the most prevalent type of therapy.
  • Incineration: Waste is heated to enhance combustion or burning, and the resulting ash is delivered to a landfill for disposal. Certain items, such as pathological wastes, non-hazardous waste medicines, and trace chemotherapeutic wastes, should be separated and cremated to guarantee proper disposal.
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